Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) was upgraded by Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Escalade from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Escalade in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Escalade Price Performance

Shares of ESCA stock opened at $15.00 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $14.20 and its 200 day moving average is $13.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 4.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market cap of $205.50 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.15 and a beta of 0.70. Escalade has a twelve month low of $11.41 and a twelve month high of $16.99.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 27th. The company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.07. Escalade had a return on equity of 8.03% and a net margin of 5.70%.The business had revenue of $62.56 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $57.55 million. Research analysts expect that Escalade will post 0.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Richard Fenton Baalmann, Jr. sold 5,490 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.00, for a total value of $71,370.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 100,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,305,122. This represents a 5.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 28.75% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ESCA. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Escalade by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 11,845 shares of the company’s stock valued at $160,000 after buying an additional 779 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Escalade by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 221,996 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,995,000 after buying an additional 878 shares during the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its position in Escalade by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 41,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $526,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Escalade by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC now owns 12,351 shares of the company’s stock valued at $167,000 after acquiring an additional 1,143 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Escalade by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 13,853 shares of the company’s stock valued at $174,000 after acquiring an additional 1,600 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.22% of the company’s stock.

About Escalade

Escalade, Inc is a U.S.-based manufacturer and distributor of recreational equipment and specialty products for both consumer and commercial markets. Headquartered in Evansville, Indiana, the company operates through two principal business segments: Sporting Goods and Commercial Products. The Sporting Goods segment encompasses a diverse range of products such as hockey and lacrosse goal assemblies, fitness accessories, archery and hunting gear, and table tennis equipment. The Commercial Products segment focuses on seating solutions for restaurants, hospitality venues and other public spaces under the Top Seat brand, as well as storage, display products and industrial carts.

Within Sporting Goods, Escalade markets its products under proprietary brands including Bear® Archery, Gene St.